• Unusual but impressive circular infotainment system
• Doesn’t feel quite as plush as the old car
• Could do with more physical controls

How is the quality and layout?

MINI has decided to make its interiors more sustainable by incorporating a greater amount of recycled materials. This includes some attractive fabric wrapping for the dashboard and doors that changes depending on what trim you select. Similarly, the seats also vary and in both cases we’d argue Exclusive trim gets you the best options.

Sadly, it just doesn’t feel as plush as before. The lack of chrome and leather is one thing, but plastic don’t feel as sturdy and there’s less soft touch material. There are no complaints about the driving position itself, although without the Level 1 pack’s head-up display you do need to check the central display for your speed.

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Almost all controls are now to be found in the giant round touchscreen. It makes for a neater, cleaner interior, albeit one that’s harder to use on the move than one with knobs and buttons for the heating.

Infotainment and tech

The Mk3 Countryman is the first MINI – and indeed the first car – to feature a circular infotainment system. MINIs have always had circular displays as their leading interior themes, but this one comes with a 24cm-diameter touchscreen rather than a rectangular screen mounted in a circular bezel. It’s weird.

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It really works well, though. The graphics are crisp, and the screen is both responsive and resistant to glare. It’s a little slow to switch between menus and drive modes, but we put that down to it being an early build car. It’s brand-new tech – and we expect load times will improve as MINI rolls out software updates during the car’s life.

The screen is incredibly customisable, too. You have eight different ‘Experience Modes’ to choose from, including a racy ‘Go-Kart’ option and a classic Mini-aping ‘Timeless’ setting that dresses the infotainment screen with a magnolia-faced speedo.

It runs on the latest MINI Operating System 9. This is relatively simple to use on the surface, but it quickly becomes more complex when you dive into the sub menus. It was also intentionally designed to look and feel similar to a modern smartphone. You can even stream video and play games on it.

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In addition to its unusual drive modes, MINI gave the screen a further gimmick in the shape of two cutesy avatars for its voice control system. You can choose between a cartoon MINI, or an animated British bulldog called Spike. Like the AI assistant in the Smart #1, though, Spike’s voice doesn’t match his adorable looks, which is a shame.

Comfort

• Firm but comfortable seats
• Electric seats optional
• As are heated seats

You can tell the Countryman has German roots from its firm but supportive seats. They do a good job of fending off backache on long journeys, although we’ve so far only sampled the poshest seats with full electric adjustment including for lumbar, and a massage feature.

More basic models get manual seat adjustment which is understandable, although having heated front seats as part of the Level 1 pack feels stingy. Level 1 also adds keyless entry which is handy.